Saturday, July 11, 2015

Great Northern, Seattle, August 13, 1960. What a visual delight! From the hogger’s great big friendly smile, to the “carriage lamp” classification lights! That’s Pier 2, Alaska Steam Ship company masts, in the background.

East Marginal Way becomes Alaskan Way (formerly Railroad Avenue,) which at that time feed numerous rail spurs onto Elliott Bay piers. Not exactly a "Meridian Speedway" run, due to the traffic and pedestrian congestion along the Seattle waterfront, we did get ahead of this consist in time to catch them, from the Canadian Pacific Dock, Pier 64, Lenora Street overpass.

An atmospheric visual feast this 1960's shot provides — from an era when a motor vehicle was a motor vehicle — not a Nike-shoe-all-look-alike. How many vehicles you can identify? Gotta love those hood ornaments! In the background is the vehicle entrance into the CPR dock.

Seattle
being part of the famous Canadian Pacific Triangle Route; Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver,

featuring some of the smartest steamers to every ply the Puget Sound; the Princess Marguerite and Princess Patricia.

Everything on the Seattle waterfront changed — dramatically — with the arrival of the Box Boats. The transfer line and team tracks were yanked up. Everything passes north — south beneath the City in the Great Northern Tunnel, via the vanilla BNSF with its boring fleet of "Toaster Ovens."

From the south, the transfer line ends at King Street, and from the north at Lenora Street.

What remains for me is the memory of a cacophony of noise, as the Duwamish Transfer trundled along Alaskan Way, with the hideous blat of a single trumpet air
horn, doing the required crossing tattoo at every single block long the
waterfront, along with the constantly clanging bell!

A wonderful mixture of Ye Old Curiosity Shop, the salivating aura of fish 'n chips and clam chowder from Ivar's Acres of Clams, salt air, shrieking seagulls and authentic railroading!

1 Comments - Click here:

oamundsen@aol.com
said...

Robert, you nailed it: the wonderful mixture of sound, smell, sight and even vibration of the old working waterfront! Same in Portland, Maine where you could get hit by a train, wacked by a bowsprit of schooner or run over by a car/truck....now it is smug and bland. But, isn't it grand to have those great textured memories!

Indeed, I co-owned Media Resources, Inc. in Vancouver Washington for a number of years.

When I began writing this Blog, the focus was on second-generation diesel power. As a young lad living in Prince Rupert, from 1957 through 1959, I began learning about diesel-electric locomotives. The Twilight of steam.

While my core interest remains unchanged, I have changed. Therefore, from time to time, I present subject material that I find absolutely interesting, hopefully you will too!